2 Arrested In Pregnant Teller Shooting

INDIANAPOLIS -- Police on Friday announced the arrests of two men in connection with the shooting of a pregnant bank teller during an April robbery that resulted in the loss of the twins she was carrying.

Brian Kendrick (pictured, left), 29, was arrested on charges of attempted murder, robbery, two counts of feticide and possession of a handgun. Aaron Stewart (pictured, right), 28, was arrested on a charge of conspiracy to commit robbery. The men were taken into custody late Thursday and early Friday, police said.

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Slideshow: Pregnant Bank Teller Shot; Police Launch Manhunt

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Katherin Shuffield, 30, was five months pregnant when she was shot almost immediately after a masked gunman burst into the Huntington National Bank in the 2000 block of North Post Road on April 22, sparking outrage at the callous, calculated nature of the crime.

The gunman jumped over a teller counter and shot Shuffield in the lower abdomen as he demanded money. The twin girls she was carrying were lost two days after the shooting.

A break in the case came from a tip specifically phoned to Marion County Sheriff Frank Anderson's home on June 9, the sheriff said. That anonymous witness provided information that led to a series of other witnesses who police grilled before making the arrests.

"A citizen had the confidence to call me at my home and say they wouldn't talk to anybody else but me," Anderson said.

Investigators said Stewart confessed involvement when he was questioned on Thursday and implicated Kendrick as the shooter. Kendrick refused to talk to officers, but was arrested based upon information detectives had already gathered.

"We did not leave a tip unturned. We checked every tip that had relevance," said Indianapolis Metro police Deputy Chief of Investigations William Benjamin.

Police said they found one vehicle believed to have been connected to the case, a Chevrolet Trailblazer, but are still looking for the gun used in the shooting and another vehicle.

Officials declined to immediately divulge additional information about the case, but planned to do so early next week, Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi said.

"One of the most aggravating things is this feticide law. This is a very difficult charge -- a C felony charge with the two innocent babies whose lives were abruptly terminated (at) five months," Brizzi said. "All we can do is charge this person with a C felony."

As many as 400 officers have been involved in the investigation. Several arrests were made early on, but all of them were later determined to have been unrelated to the robbery and shooting.

Anderson said the arrests reinforce one message to central Indiana criminals. "If you violate, we will incarcerate," Anderson said.

Mayor Greg Ballard released a statement praising Indianapolis Metro police officers and others for their work on the case.

"I also want to thank the citizens that came forward with information. The more the citizens help the police, the safer our neighborhoods will be," Ballard said.